Conventional cultivation air seeders have cultivation tools (cultivators) near the front of the machine, such as discs and leveling tines, that prepare the soil for opener tools (openers) at the back of the machine that open furrows in the soil and deposit the seeds. Compacting wheels on the seeder are located between the cultivators and the openers for compacting the loosely cultivated soil just prior to engagement by the openers. A meter dispenses the seeds or other particulate material from a large bulk hopper on the seeder into an air stream that transports the seeds to the openers.
It is conventional practice for the operator to raise all the tools (discs, tines and openers) and turn off the meter as the seeder enters the headland area at the end of a field and turns around for the next pass. Once the seeder has started down the next pass, the tools are lowered back down to the ground and the meter is turned back on to resume seeding operations. By raising the openers at the same time as the cultivators and not turning off the seed meter, however, there is a risk of stopping the seeding too late and simply scattering seeds on the ground. By subsequently lowering the openers at the same time as the cultivators after the turn and not turning on the meter soon enough, there is a risk of resuming seed deposit too late, after traveling down the field for a distance.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cultivation air seeder wherein the cultivators and the openers are caused to sequentially raise or lower, in appropriate coordination with activation or deactivation of the seed meter, in such a manner that seeding problems associated with headland turns and the like can be avoided. In one embodiment, when the operator operates the control lever in the tractor cab to raise the tools at an approaching turn or the like, the cultivators are raised first, followed by the openers after the cultivators have reached their raised position. Once the cultivators have left their lowered positions and are moving toward their raised position, the meter is turned off but the blower motor stays on so that seeds in the conduits downstream from the meter continue to be delivered to the openers and the openers continue to deposit them in the soil. By the time the cultivators reach their raised positions, the seeds have been emptied from the conduits and the openers are ready to be lifted to their raised positions. During the turn, both the cultivators and the openers remain in their raised positions, and the meter remains deactivated. After the turn, as the operator starts down the next pass and shifts the lever to lower the tools to the ground, the cultivators lower first. As the cultivators reach their lowered position, the blower motor is reactivated to start sending more seeds toward the openers and the openers commence their lowering movement. By the time the restarted seeds reach the openers, the openers have reached their lowered positions to once again start depositing seeds in the soil.
In another embodiment the cultivators and openers lift sequentially, as in the first embodiment, but lower simultaneously. The meter turns off when the cultivators start up toward their raised positions, and then turns back on when the cultivators have returned to their lowered positions.
In a most preferred embodiment the control system on the seeder enables the operator to select either one of the foregoing sequencing modes to suit his particular needs or desires.